The Luck of an Orphan
by CrazyCabernet
Summary: Eight years after the Frabjous Day, Nettie Hightopp finds her way into the Round Hall and meets Jemima Thornton, an orphaned Abovegrounder. What the teenager and the little girl don't realize is that Jemima is destined to follow a path not all that different from the one that Nettie's mother followed. But unlike Alice, Jemima's not exactly adventurous, nor is she very confident.
1. Prologue

**AN: Okay, so this is my first AiW 2010 fic, although I've been obsessed with the movie pretty much ever since the first time I saw it, but...*shrugs* Anyway, yeah. This is just kind of a prologue of sorts, both to kind of introduce Alice and Tarrant's daughter, and also to sort of establish a basic background of what's going on before I bring Underland's next visitor from Aboveground down the rabbit hole. This chapter is basically my launch pad for the rest of the story, it's going to sort of spur things into motion. The REAL stuff is gonna start picking up next chapter! This one is just me giving the snowball a push at the top of the hill and then standing there and giggling while I watch it pick up speed and get bigger and eventually run a few people over once it reaches the sidewalk and starts heading across the street, MWAHAHAHAHA-*HACK COUGH HACK HACK HACK HACK***

...No worries...S'all good...Heh. ;P

* * *

At five years old, Nettie Hightopp had everything she could want in life. She was allowed to go anywhere in Underland she pleased, just as long as she had Mallymkin or Nivens with her at all times, and she spent her time running around, exploring, and playing all sorts of different games. Everyone she came across in her adventures knew who she was, if not by name or reputation, then by her firey orange curls and vibrant green eyes.

It was, after all, a well known fact that nobody in all of Underland had hair that color unless they were a member of the Hightopp clan. It had distinguished them from other families for as long as history could remember. And nobody else had eyes as bright or as green as Nettie's. Nobody, that is, except for her father.

Her parents' names were recognized by everyone in all of Underland, and her mother especially was just as respected as Queen Mirana herself. She had, after all, slain the Jabberwocky and defeated the Bloody Red Queen. Everyone knew that Nettie was the Champion's daughter, that the little girl with the flaming curls, vivid eyes, musical laughter, and cheerful disposition was the daughter of Alice and Tarrant Hightopp themselves, the White Queen's Champion and Royal Hatter. And those who had met Nettie all agreed that she was just as beautiful as her mother and nearly as eccentric as her father.

It was usually Mally who went with her on her adventures through Underland, either riding on Nettie's shoulder, and on a few occasions, even on top of her head, or running on all fours through the underbrush, grass, or along whatever path Nettie had decided to follow. The reason Nettie had to have Mally or Nivens with her all the time was so she would stay out of trouble, have someone to help if she should ever injure herself, and always return home safely.

Mally did quite an excellent job of looking after the five-year-old, and although she would never say so out loud in front of Nivens, Nettie actually preferred the Dormouse over the White Rabbit because she felt that Nivens' natural tendancy to worry about things would make things less fun, partly because he might not allow her to go as many places and do as many things as Mally, who, being who she was personality-wise, loved doing many of the things that Nettie did, such as climbing to the top of the giant mushrooms.

Or looking for new ways into the Round Hall.

It was something that the Tweedles had introduced her to about a week after her fifth birthday. Although she knew what and where the Round Hall was and why it was important, she had never actually seen it. She'd been to the Small Door many times before, but she'd never seen the room beyond that door, not even through the keyhole, because it was too small for her to be able to see anything clearly enough to get an idea of what it was like inside.

So now, thanks to the Tweedles' influence, one of her favorite things to do was search for alternate ways into the Hall, constantly on the look out for a possible door, no matter where she was in Underland.

And one day, she finally discovered one.

* * *

**AN: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY FOR NEW WAYS INTO THE ROUND HALL! Jajajajajajajaj! ^ ^**

Disclaimer: Look, I know I call myself the Mad Majesty of Muchness, and I know I've dressed up as both Alice AND Tarrant in the past, and I know I figured out why a raven is like a writing desk, but unfortunately for me, none of that stuff made me the owner of this stuff. Much to my disappointment, it still belongs to Tim Burton and Lewis Carroll/Charles Ludwig Dogdson. (lol, did i spell his last name right? i can never remember if there's a "d" next to the "g" or not, and if so, which side it's on PX)  



	2. The Hatter's Girl

**AN: Wot's this? Maggie is updating? Two days in a row? WOOOOOOT?! WOT IS THIS BLACK MAGIC SORCERY?!**

**It's a little curse I like to call, "No Social Life Outside of School," perhaps you may have heard of it, some of you may even suffer from it like I do. Aw, who'm I kidding, I don't suffer from it, I love it for the most part! XD**

**Anyway, yeah. Here's where things get going. I even managed to get in a cute little daddy scene for Tarrant, also! ^ ^ 3 I love doing that for Fiyero in my Wicked fics where he and Elphaba have kids, so I guess that just sort of carried over through fandoms and into this, lol. But, anyway, yeah. Constructive criticism is always welcome, as always, and I'd also love it if you reviewed just 'cuz (hint hint), but whatever. Enjoy! n_n**

* * *

Jemima fell.

She fell and fell and fell and fell, and then she fell some more. And while she fell, she screamed. She screamed louder and longer and shriller than she had ever screamed before. She dared not open her eyes for fear that she would be sick if she did. She thought for sure that she was going to die when she landed, _if_ she ever landed.

Then, without any warning to speak of, she went crashing through some unknown thing and was abruptly rammed against a hard surface. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around her, only to find that she was upside down on a ceiling. A moment later, she fell to the floor with a thud.

As she sat up rubbing her forearm, long black hair falling into her eyes, she heard muffled footsteps coming from behind a door and turned towards the sound. She scrambled to her feet and pressed herself against the wall, bracing herself for the worst. Unnecessarily, as it turned out.

When the door opened, Jemima found herself staring into a pair of wide, vibrantly bright green eyes framed by wild orange curls. Jemima blinked and studied the girl closely. She couldn't have been older than about six, seven at the very most.

The brown lace-up boots she wore went up to her ankles and were all scuffed up. There was a hole in one of her stockings, and the other one had slipped down to just above her knee. She had a mouse sitting on her shoulder and there were several dirt smudges on her pale face. Her clothes had a rather mismatched look about them, and she had bandages wrapped around part of one forearm, starting just above the elbow.

For several moments, neither of them spoke, both of them studying the other. Finally, the girl said, "Who are you?" It took a moment for Jemima to remember how to speak. "J-Jemima," she managed. "Jemima Thornton. Who are you?"

"What's it to ya?" the mouse demanded in a thick Cockney accent, suddenly pulling a needle off of something attached to its waist. Jemima gasped. "God, since when can mice talk?!" she exclaimed. The mouse glared at her. "I'm a dormouse," it said, "and I gots a name, y'know. It's Mallymkin. And if ya absolutely must know, this 'ere's Nettie 'ightopp. Ya be'er watch yaself, girlie, 'cause 'er parents are both real impo'ant people, an' I promised 'em I'd look out for 'er an' keep 'er safe."

"Mally, be nice," the little girl said. "She looks scared, don't you think?"  
"I am!" Jemima said. "I'm terrified! I've never met a talking animal of any sort, I just fell from a very long ways up, and I have absolutely no idea where I am or how I got here!"

Nettie and Mally looked at each other. "I think we ought to take her to Mum," Nettie said. "Isn't that how she got here, too?" Mally hesitated. "Aye," she said finally. "Three times, to be exact. Once when she was no bigger'n you are now, again when she was about nineteen, an' anothah time six years ago, an' that was when she stayed'n married ya dad."  
"Then maybe she could help Jemima," Nettie said.

After several moments, Mally relented. "Fine," she said. "But I'll be watchin' you real close, an' if you make even one wrong move..." She drew her finger across her neck. _"Kkkkktch!" _Jemima blinked. "Got it," she said. "I'll behave, I promise."  
"You better."

She jumped off of Nettie's shoulder and motioned for the girls to follow. "Come on, then!" she said. "We ain't gettin' any youngah, and it's abou' time we start 'eadin' back anyway, Nettie. Follow me!"

* * *

On their way back, they ran into the Tweedles, who decided to tag along with them, and Chessur, who Nettie had a short conversation with before saying fairfarren and continuing on home. As they reached the edge of the Tulgey Woods and the long tea table came into view, the sound of their feet crunching on the leaves and other things on the forest floor woke up Thackery, who had been napping, all curled up in a small shallow hole hidden by the leaves of a bush.

"NETTIE'S BACK!" he shouted, one eye twitching as he tugged at his ear and crawled out from his spot beneath the bush. "Hush, you!" Mally scolded from her spot on Nettie's shoulder. Jemima turned when she heard a door open and a man's voice call Nettie's name. When the five-year-old heard it, she broke into a huge grin. "Daddy!" she cried.

Mally leaped off her shoulder at the last possible second before Nettie took off across the distance remaining between the group and the house. Jemima and the others followed behind at a brisk walk. They arrived just in time to see a man with flaming orange hair sweep Nettie up into his arms, both of them grinning broadly as he spun her around in a circle.

"And how has your day been, my dear?" the man asked. "It was wonderful, Daddy! I finally found a way into the Round Hall, near the Bandersnatch's cave!"  
"Did you indeed?"  
"This was there."

The man turned to look at Mally. "What was where?" he asked. "This," Mally said, pointing to Jemima, "was in the Round Hall." The man looked at where Mally was pointing and frowned in confusion. "Her name's Jemima," Nettie told him. "She said she fell from a long way up, just like Mum did. Jemima, this is my daddy. He's Queen Mirana's Royal Hatter!"

The man put Nettie down and took off his top hat, bowing to Jemima. "Tarrant Hightopp, at your service," he said. "Most people just call me the Mad Hatter." Jemima curtseyed. "Jemima Thornton. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Tarrant!" a voice called from inside the house. "I hear voices out there, what's going on?"  
"Oh, um, nothing!" he said. "Just, um, Mally's here! And so are the Tweedles! And Thackery!"  
"Don't you dare lie to me, Tarrant, I heard someone else!"  
"Alice, whatever you do, don't come out-"

He stopped when he saw the blonde standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. "...Side," he finished. "Mum!" Nettie said, rushing up to the woman and throwing her arms around her. The woman smiled and returned the hug. "Did you have fun today?" she asked. Nettie nodded. "And we found her," she said, pointing to Jemima. "She said she fell from a long way, just like you."

The woman came and stood next to the Hatter. "You're from Aboveground?" she asked. Jemima shrugged. "I suppose, if that's what you'd like to call it," she said. "I'm from England, near Scotland Yard." The blonde's expression changed suddenly at this.  
"I'm from London originally," she said, "but now my home is here in Witzend. I'm Alice."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Jemima Thornton. This may seem strange, but you look oddly familiar...If you don't mind my asking, what was your maiden name?"  
"Kingsley. You may have actually heard of my father before. Charles Kingsley?"

Recognition dawned on Jemima's face. "Yes, that's it! I've met your sister Margaret, she and her husband live near Scotland Yard now, in the same neighborhood where I've lived all my life!"  
"You've met Margaret? Really? How is she? Lowell's treating her alright, isn't he?"

"Yes, of course! She's wonderful, she's told me about you several times, in fact." Alice's face darkened somewhat when Jemima said this. "What exactly did she say about me?" she asked. Jemima thought for a moment.

"She said she has a younger sister named Alice who turned down a marriage proposal from Hamish Ascot when she was nineteen, then worked as Lord Ascot's business partner for awhile and spent some time in China. Then not long after coming back to England, she vanished. She said that was about six years ago, and nobody's seen or heard from her since then." She paused for a moment. "I suppose now I know why that is," she added, glancing at Tarrant and Nettie.

"I vanished of my own accord," Alice said, putting one hand on the back of Nettie's head and running her fingers through the fiery curls as the little girl latched herself onto her mother's skirt. "I'd been to Underland once already as a child, then when I was nineteen, I came back. I didn't remember anything from the first time and thought it was a dream, but then I realized it wasn't and I slew the Jabberwocky-"

"DOWN WI' BLUDDY BEHG HEAD!" Tarrant shouted in a deep Scottish brogue. "Hatter!" Mally said. He put one hand at the base of his throat and blinked. "I'm fine," he said hoarsely. Alice grinned briefly before continuing.

"And then I went home to take care of some unfinished business. That was when I turned down Hamish and went to China. I spent about two years or so overseas before returning to England. I spent about two or three weeks with my family, then started looking for one of Nivens' holes. I jumped into the first one I found and when I got out of the Round Hall, Mally and the Tweedles were already there waiting to take me to the White Queen's palace at Marmoreal, where everyone else was waiting. I'd already decided before I ever even step foot off the ship that brought me back to England that once I'd gotten back to Underland, I was going to stay. What I didn't know at the time was that I'd end up married to my best friend, or that it would only take a little over a year for me to become a mother."

"So you didn't really vanish so much as you..." Jemima paused, searching for the right phrase. Then she glanced around her and noticed the group of people around her, really noticed them for the first time, then she looked again at Alice and saw how natural it seemed that she be a part of that group. "So much as you came home," she finished, realizing even as she said it that it was true. Alice belonged here, with the twitching brown hare, the funny pair of brothers with wooden swords, the needle-brandishing dormouse, and especially with the eccentric-looking man calling himself the Mad Hatter and the pale child clutching the fabric of Alice's dress in her small hands.

Alice smiled. "Exactly," she said. "I came home. It was past time that I did."  
"Daddy says that you were terribly late," Nettie said. Alice grinned at her. "I was," she agreed. "I was terribly, terribly late for a lot of things."  
"Including tea?" Nettie asked.  
_"Especially_ tea!" Thack said.  
"Hush, you," Mally scolded.

Tarrant's head suddenly jerked around towards the far end of the tea table, his gaze directed over the top of the tall chair that sat there and out towards the horizon. "Do you hear that?" he said in a voice that was almost a whisper. "Hear what?" Mally asked. "That," he said, his voice somewhat louder. For a moment or so, nobody moved or said anything, trying to catch whatever it was he was hearing.

He made a growling noise from somewhere deep in his throat, and as Jemima's eyes moved back toward him, she noticed that his bright green eyes had shifted to an orange that matched his hair. Dark circles appeared under them out of practically no where, and he glared at something in the trees. Nettie must have also been able to see whatever her father saw, because she whimpered and tightened her grip on Alice's dress, burying her face in the fabric.

"Ge' her ou'a here," the Hatter said in a deep Scottish brogue, never taking his eyes off whatever it was he was seeing. "Why?" Alice said quietly. "Tarrant, what is it? What do you see?" He shook his head. "It's naught for usal tryin' to explain right now," he said. "Jus' ge' her ou'a here, it's nae safe! Ge' ta Marmoreal, the lo'a ya! Go now!"

Without a word, Alice swept Nettie up into her arms and put two fingers in her mouth, letting out a shrill whistle. There was a loud roar, and something that resembled a giant dog of sorts came crashing through the trees, skidding to a stop in front of them. Jemima let out a shriek and lost her balance, falling onto the ground.

Mally lept onto the table and drew her needle out. The Tweedles and Thackery scrambled onto the enormous beast's back, then Alice handed Nettie up to Thack. Once her daughter was safely on, Alice turned and grabbed Jemima's wrist, yanking her back onto her feet. "Come on!" she cried, helping her scramble onto the creature's back before getting on herself.

She sat at the base of the creatures neck, and Nettie sat with her arms around Alice's waist. Alice gripped the creature's fur in her fists and leaned forward. "To Marmoreal," she said. The thing let out another roar, then took off, moving in huge bounds rather than by running. Jemima held on for dear life, eyes wide.

"What is this thing?!" she yelled above the noise of the thing's rumbling footsteps and the crashing of the trees and brush. "The Bandersnatch," Nettie said over her shoulder. "Mum rescued it from the Red Queen and it let her ride it to Marmoreal, and then into battle on the Frabjous Day when she killed the Jabberwocky. It's been helping her get around Underland ever since.

The Bandersnatch let out another roar, almost as if confirming Nettie's story as the truth. Jemima glanced back. She saw the Hatter standing on top of the table waving a sword around over his head and shouting something. In another moment, he was out of sight. As she turned back around, Jemima heard that Scottish brogue of his cry out, "Ezel, Mally, ezel! Slurking urpal slackush scrum! _DOWN WI' BLUDDEH BEHG HEAD! LONG LIVE THA' WHITE QUEEN!"_

* * *

**AN: Oh noes! :O What is dat tingy dat dey are fightingz?! What could dat tingy possibly be?! You'll just have to wait and find out, why? CUZ I'M EVIL LIKE THAT, MWHAHAHA-HACK HACK HACK!...S'all good.**

**Anyway, for those of you who don't know what the word _ezel_ means, it's Outlandish for "high," "go higher," or "go up." So basically, he's telling her to get higher up than where ever it is she was at the moment. And what he says right after that, _slurking urpal slackush scrum, _is something he says at one point in the movie when is eyes are orange and he's got the Scottish thing going on and his words kind of blur together, but if you listen closely enough, you can catch those words coming out of his mouth, and they're basically what you might call Outlandish cuss words.**

**For anyone wondering how I know all this about the Outlandish language, it's because one time I found a list of Outlandish words and phrases and their translations, and also of various places in Underland and what makes them significant. Sometimes I like to call people the Outlandish term for "thief's butt," and they look at me like, "da*bleep* did she just say?" and I'm just sitting there snickering to myself like, "Mwahahaha, I have the power to insult people without them ever knowing it, mwahahaha!" It's lotsa fun, believe it or not! XD ^^**

**DISCLAIMER TIME, BOYS & GIRLS! XD  
**

**I OWN NOTHING AND DENY EVERYTHING! PX  
**


	3. Madame Knight

**AN: I spy with my little eye another sorta-kinda-cutesy Hightopp family moment towards the end of this chapter before things get too serious...**

* * *

By the time Alice helped her climb down from the Bandersnatch's back, Jemima's knees were weak and she stumbled a bit when she tried to walk. "Careful!" Alice said, catching her by the arm and helping her right herself. "It's quite a rush, I know. Don't worry, you get used to it after the first few times or so. Of course, some people have an easier time getting accustomed to it than others."  
"You actually ride that thing on a daily basis?"  
"Whenever I need to go somewhere."

Meanwhile, Nettie had run several feet up the walkway that led to the massive white palace they'd arrived at. Now, she cupped her small hands around her mouth and yelled out, "QUEEN MIRANA! QUEEN MIRANA, COME QUICKLY, WE NEED YOUR HELP!"  
"Nettie!" Alice said, hurrying over to her. "How many times-"  
"Alice, dear, is that you?"

Everyone turned in the direction of the voice that had spoken. Standing at the edge of one of the smaller paths that branched off of the main one that they were one was an extremely pale woman dressed entirely in white with a silver crown resting on top of her head, it's blue jewels glinting in the sunlight. Alice looked extremely relieved to see her, who ever she was.

"Mirana!" she said, rushing up to the woman. They kissed each other's cheeks. "Oh, you have no idea who happy I am to see you," Alice said. "What do you mean, is something wrong, dear?"

"I wish I knew! Tarrant just...I don't know, he saw something in the trees and told me to get Nettie away from there, but he wouldn't say why, he just said that it was naught for usal explaining and that it wasn't safe. Mally stayed behind to help him with...whatever it was."

"It was huge!" Nettie blurted out suddenly, throwing her arms up into the air for emphasis. "I saw it! It was big and it had fangs and claws and red eyes and it was covered in black scales and had big pointy ears with hair in them and a long tail and-"  
"Nettie!"

She blinked, then, much as her father had earlier, put her hands on the base of her throat. "I'm fine," she said in a hoarse voice. Mirana got down on Nettie's eye level and brushed a stray curl out of the girl's eyes. "So you saw it, too, did you, darling?" she asked in a gentle voice. Nettie nodded. "Yes, and it looked sort of like the pictures I've seen of the Jabberwocky, only it didn't at the same time. Do you know what I mean by that?"  
"I believe so."

"She _was_ looking towards the same spot that he was," Jemima said thoughtfully. Mirana looked up. "Oh! I beg your pardon, I didn't see you there, my dear! And what might your name be?"

"Jemima Thornton, ma'am," the younger woman replied. Mirana stood up and approached her, then gracefully lowered herself back down again a bit in a small curtsey. She then stood up to her full height and held her head high, making her look more regal than anyone Jemima had ever met before in her life.

"I am the White Queen," she said, "Mirana of Marmoreal." She lowered her head back to a more natural position and smiled warmly. Then, in a less authoritative voice, she said, "I see you've already met my Champion and her daughter, as well as my two Head Scouts and Royal Cook."  
"Yes, ma'am, and your Royal Hatter and...um..."  
"Madame Knight," Alice muttered.

"Your Madame Knight, as well," Jemima finished. Mirana smiled. "Ah, yes, dear old Tarrant and Mallymkin. She didn't give you too much trouble, I hope?"  
"I think we got off on the wrong foot, but she's alright."

"Yes, Mally is...Well, she can be a bit, shall we say, stand-offish to strangers at first, but if you give her time, she'll eventually come around and warm up to you. Now, you said that Nettie was looking at the same spot that the Hatter was, yes?"

Jemima nodded. "Yes, and she looked rather frightened. She hid her face in Alice's skirt. Whatever it was must have really scared her."  
"Jus' as it righ'ly ough'a, lass."

Jemima turned. The Hatter was standing beside the Bandersnatch's hind leg, the height added by his top hat bringing him up to just above its thigh. His head was lowered, the brim of his hat hiding his face from view, his hands resting on the hilt of his sword, the tip of which was resting against the ground. He raised his head just enough for Jemima to see that his eyes either hadn't gone back to green at all or had returned to being orange on his way there.

"Oh, thank God you're safe!" Alice cried, rushing to his side and throwing her arms around him. He put his arm around her waist, letting the sword clatter to the ground as he put his other hand on the back of her head and kissed the top of it softly. As Nettie ran over to join her parents, his eyes returned to their original color. Alice put an arm around the girl's shoulders and Tarrant let his hand fall from the back of his wife's head to the top of his daughter's.

He looked at the White Queen over the top of Alice's head. "Mirana," he said quietly. "It's already begun. It was just like Absolem said. Even worse than the Jabberwock, and twice as frightening."  
"And...Mallymkin?" the Queen asked quietly. "Yes, where is Mally, Daddy?" Nettie asked. "I thought she had stayed with you back at home. Didn't she follow you when you came here?"

Alice looked from Nettie to Tarrant. Slowly, almost as if he were in some sort of trance, the Hatter let go of his family and walked up to Mirana. For a moment, neither of them did or said anything, just gazing at each other silently. Finally, Tarrant removed his hat, clutching the brim with both hands as he bowed his head. "I did everything I could," he said quietly, reaching into his coat pocket. He held out his hand, opening his fingers to reveal Mally laying in his palm with her eyes closed and a peaceful look on her face. "But I fear 'twas all naught for usal in the end," he finished in a whisper.

Nettie let out a shriek and began sobbing into Alice's skirt, burying her face against her mother's shoulder when Alice picked her up. The Tweedles dropped their wooden swords and looked at each other. "You mean she's-"  
"But she can't be!"  
"But she is!"  
"MALLY!"

Thackery suddenly burst into tears, pulling his ears down over his eyes and sobbing loudly. "Mally was his best friend," Alice explained quietly to Jemima. "He would've done anything for her, even given his own life if he had to."

Mirana cupped her hands in front of her and Tarrant gently put Mally in her palms. The Queen then turned and made her way towards the palace with Thackery and the Tweedles close on her heels. Tarrant looked at Jemima, then Alice and Nettie. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, so he closed it again and frowned. He put his top hat back on, glanced at his family one more time, then turned and set off down the nearest side path with a rather disgruntled look on his face.

It wasn't until she looked down and noticed the small wet spots on her shoes that Jemima realized she was crying.

* * *

**AN: OH GAWD, PLEASE DON'T MAIM ME, YOU GUYS! I LOVE THAT FEISTY LI'L DORMOUSE AS MUCH AS THE NEXT GAL, BUT I HAD TO FOR THE PLOTLINE! IT WAS ALL THE PLOT BUNNEHZ' FAULTS, I SWEAR, THEY MADE ME DO IT! *breaks into tears* I'M SORRY, MALLMKIN! PLEASE, _PLEASE _FORGIVE ME! PLEASE DON'T STEAL MY EYE WITH YOUR NEEDLE-SWORD, PLEASE, I WAS FORCED INTO IT, I SWEAR!  
**

**Disclaimer: Amaaa-aaazing graaaace, how sweeeeet the sooooound that saaaaved a moooouse li-ike Mallyyyyyy! Maaa-aaagie stiiiiill doooooes no-ot oooown AAAAAAlice in Wooooooonderlaaaaaaand.**

P'X  



	4. The Boshy Black Flame

**AN: Ok, so for Tarrant's brogue, I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to spell some of the words in a way that would convey the Scottish accent, but I did my best. Being descended from the Argyll branch of the Campbell Clan myself, I wanted to put my ancestors' way of speaking into written word to the very best of my ability, and I'm rather proud of the result thus far.**

**As for Beradella's appearance, just picture Bernadette Peters. She looks so much like Helena Bonham Carter, that the first time I saw a picture of her, I did a double take and said, "HOLY EFFING SNOT, IT'S HELENA BONHAM CARTER'S LONG-LOST TWIN SISTER!" So I not only intend for Beradella to pretty much _be_ Bernadette, but I also based her name on Bernadette's.  
**

* * *

"I'twas tha Boshy Blahck Flehme's beasteh-thin', Ah know i'twas!" Tarrant shouted, pounding his fist on the table, flecks of viridian swirling around in his otherwise vividly bright green eyes. "Ah'd recognize tha bluddeh creature ennehwhere! An' di'nae Mahrneh send ye word ta be lookin' ou' fer signs'a tha Blahck Quehn?"

Mirana tugged at a strand of her hair. "Yes," she replied softly. "She did. I thought nothing of it at the time. You know how paranoid the poor dear gets, how skittish and easily startled she is. I thought perhaps she was just...well...Marnie-ing, for lack of a better way to put it. I honestly didn't think there was actually anything to it, so I didn't bother taking any precautions."

"An' now Malleh's dead," he retorted, his voice getting deeper by the minute, his eyes beginning to show signs of muddiness as the orange swirled around and fought against the green for dominance. Mirana put a hand against her breastbone, lowering her head and eyelids, but giving no response to this statment.

"Wait," Alice said. _"Black_ Queen? You mean there's more of you?"  
"Yes," Mirana replied, not looking up. "Beradella of Snud and Marnie of Queast, Black and Blue, respectively. Mine and Iracebeth's cousins. Della and Iracie are the same age, and so are Marnie and I. Della's temper is even worse than Iracie's, but she wasn't always cruel the way Iracie was. With Iracebeth, her bitterness stemmed from bad childhood experiences, but with Beradella...She was betrothed some time ago, but, like many others-"

Here, she glanced at Tarrant. "Including the Hightopp Clan," she added softly, "he was killed on the Horunvendush Day when Iracebeth took over." She sighed. "I suppose that...the grief and anger over it have finally managed to burst out of the bottle she's doubtlessly been keeping them closed up inside of for all these years."

"And she also has a...'beasty-thing' like Iracebeth?" Alice asked. Mirana pursed her lips, then gave a quick nod. "We've never seen it," she said. "Not clearly, anyway, and never in broad daylight, but we have a vague general idea of what it might look like, and based on that, we think it may be somehow related to the Jabberwocky, perhaps the same species of creature, but a different breed, or something along those lines."

"Tha Asterkin, we been callin' it," Tarrant said. "A bluddeh monster, e't'is. Twaice as fearsum as tha Jabberwock, three times as much a killer." The circles under his eyes darkened and a protective look suddenly overtook his face. "Mirahna!" he shouted. "Yer nae goin'ta be 'avin' Alice fight tha' thin', ye hear?! Ah'll nae le' ye send mah whife on a suicide missun, ye hear meh, womun?! Ah won't 'ave it, Ah won't! Ah'd sooner gehv me 'at ta Chess than le' Alice go neah tha' thin'!"

"She won't have to, so you don't have to worry about that," Mirana said. Alice frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? You can't possibly be thinking of sending one of your knights after this thing, can you?" she asked. "Of course not, dear," the Queen replied. "I know I probably should have told you both about this much sooner, but..."

One of the Tweedles handed her a scroll. "Thank you, 'Dum," she said. Turning back to Alice and Tarrant, she laid the scroll down on the table and unrolled it. It was the Oraculam. She pointed to the image that was on the Astilith Day. They both leaned over and looked at it closely. Alice frowned. "That's not me," she said.

Mirana shook her head. "No," she said, "it most certainly is not. Not with hair that color." Alice looked up. "Then who is it?" she asked. Mirana rolled the Oraculam back up. "There is no solid proof," she said. "But I believe that it may be the girl who Nettie found in the Round Hall today."  
"You mean Jemima?"

"Precisely. The surest way to confirm whether or not it truly is meant to be her is, of course, through Absolem. However, he has not been seen by anyone in several days. After today's events, I'm beginning to believe that Beradella may have something to do with that. The only way to be certain of that, though, is by sending someone to Snud and having them investigate, perhaps see if they can find him anywhere. Whoever it is, I would like to have Jemima go with them so that Absolem can have a look at her as soon as possible."

"Let me do it," Alice said. "This probably won't be all that different from what I went through, and she'll need someone who understands what she'll be going through. It should be me who goes with her."

Mirana smiled. "My thoughts exactly," she said. "If Alice is going, then so am I," Tarrant said, his eyes back to green and his brogue gone for the moment. "But then who will stay here and take care of Nettie?" Alice asked. "She's more than welcome to stay in the palace with me while you're gone, and I'll see to it that she's well cared for," Mirana offered. Alice and Tarrant looked at each other, then back at Mirana. Alice nodded. "That's what we'll do, then," she said. "Nettie will stay here with you while Hatta and I take Jemima to Snud and look for Absolem."

"Very well. I'll go find Jemima and let her know what's going on," Mirana said. Once she was gone from the room, Hatta turned and put his hand on Alice's arm. She looked at him and smiled, then put her arms around his neck. "I'm glad you're coming with me," she said. "I'd have missed you an awful lot if you'd had to stay behind."

Although he was returning her hug, he remained silent and didn't reply. She pulled back slightly and frowned in confusion. "Hatta? What is it, is something wrong?" she asked. He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "There's something I think you ought to know about the Black Queen," he said quietly. "What's that?"

He hesitated for a moment. "You see," he said finally. "Quite some time ago, shortly after you'd come here by way of the Looking Glass, Beradella took a fancy to me. I did not return it then, and I most certainly do not return it now, but I don't believe she has ever been able to completely let go of it, and perhaps that's part of why she ended up the way she did. Part of why I wanted to come with you is because if she realized you were married to me, I'm afraid she might get jealous and do something drastic to you. As Mirana said earlier, her temper is much worse than Iracebeth's, and I don't quite like the idea of you going to her court without someone to help you should she come after you."

She embraced him again. "I appreciate your concern," she said. "Thank you. If it really does come to that sort of thing, you know there's not a single soul in all of Underland that I'd rather have fighting beside me more than you. I love you, Hatta."

He smiled. _"Agus breà liom tú, mo Alice milis."_

* * *

**AN: I chose the colors blue and black for the other two queens because black is opposite white on the color spectrum, and blue is opposite red. And yes, I deliberately had Alice say "that's not me" while she was looking specifically at the Oraculam just because it was such an obvious movie reference.**

**Oh, and for those wondering why I chose viridian as the color that was swirling around in Hatta's eyes at the beginning, it's because if a person has a viridian aura, it indicates mental and/or emotional stress, which he's going through a lot of because of what happened to Mally. I wasn't sure what colors to use for what emotions with his eyes, but then I figured that maybe I could turn to Wicca for some inspiration, as I've always been simply fascinated with all their concepts and such, so I Googled the different meanings of aura colors and bam; viridian swirls.  
**

**Celtic translation of that final line: "And I love you, my sweet Alice." 3 ^^**

**Disclaimer: Féin mé rud ar bith ach Jemima, Nettie, Marnie, agus Beradella, agus a dhiúltú mé gach rud eile!**

**(translation: I own nothing but Jemima, Nettie, Marnie, and Beradella, and I deny everything else!)**


	5. Oh, Hatta

**AN: Ok, so I've already got four chapters up and this thing has had like thirty-something views according to my traffic stuff, and I still have not had a SINGLE REVIEW. I'm starting to get discouraged. I'm beginning to think that maybe you guys aren't liking this that much and that I should just stick to writing stuff for the Wicked fandom, because I've been coming home from school and looking forward to seeing even just ONE little review for this thing every day for practically the entire week, and every single day, I've gotten nothing but disappointment. I mean, I can seriously feel my heart sinking every time I check for reviews and see none. Should I just scrap this or what?**

* * *

When they got to the Black Queen's palace, Tarrant was the first one off the Bandersnatch, and he helped both girls get down. "So this is where the Black Queen lives?" Jemima asked. "Based on the way everything looks, I'd say so," Alice replied. Tarrant stared silently at the huge ebony palace that stood in front of them, memories flashing through his mind.

* * *

_"Oh, Hatta, is that you?"  
"Yes, Your Majesty."_  
_"Come closer, won't you?"_

_The youngest member of the Hightopp Clan obliged, his head bowed and eyes lowered humbly towards the ground as he removed his hat and held it in front of him, which was his family's way of showing respect to their superiors, elders, and so on. He stopped in front of the throne and knelt down, his head still lowered._

_"Oh, Hatta, won't you please lift your head? I want to see your face," the Queen said. He looked up at her and blinked his wide green eyes. "Your Majesty?" he said quietly. "Oh, please call me Della, won't you, Hatta?" she replied. "Very well...Della..."_  
_"Yes, Hatta?"_

_"...Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?"_  
_"No, I can't say I do, I'm afraid. Why _is_ a raven like a writing desk?"_

_He shook his head. "I haven't the slightest idea, Your Majesty."_  
_"Please call me Della, Hatta. I think of you as one of my closest friends. I wish you'd think of me as one of yours, as well. Hatta? Hatta, are you listening? Hatta. Hatta. Hatta!"_

* * *

He blinked and returned to the present. Jemima and Alice were both watching him. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was having a flashback." He smiled. "Shall we go on in now?" The girls glanced at each other a bit skeptically, but followed him up the walk, nonetheless.

A shrill scream suddenly pierced the air, making all three of them cover their ears. The scream turned into loud sobs, then a woman dressed in sapphire with cobalt streaks in her long brown hair came flying down the walk towards them, her sobs hitching in her throat so that she could hardly breathe properly.

When she noticed Tarrant standing there, she cried out, "Hatta! Oh, Hatta, thank Lord it's you!" She came rushing forward and latched onto him, clinging desperately to the front of his coat, tears streaming down her reddened face in rivers. "Hatta, please, you have to help me! Beradella's angry with me, she's after me, please, you have to hide me from her, please, I'm begging you!"

"MARNIE!" a voice shrieked. The woman in blue screamed again and buried her face against Tarrant's shoulder. "Oh, she's going to kill me, I just know it, I just know it!" she wailed. Looking rather flustered, Tarrant raised his arms and hugged the crying woman a bit awkwardly. "Now, Marnie, my dear," he said. "I'm sure she wouldn't ever go so far as to kill her own-"

"MARNIE!" the other voice shrieked again. Another woman, this one with a tangled mess of copper curls and dressed entirely in black, was storming towards them. "Marnie, you little brat! How dare you-" She stopped short when she saw Tarrant, who was still awkwardly hugging Marnie with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Oh, Hatta? Is that you?"  
"Yes, Your Majesty."  
"Come closer, won't you?"

He let go of Marnie, who took a step back, sobs continuing to wrack her narrow shoulders, and moved forward slowly, taking off his hat to hold it in front of him as he did so and bowing his head, lowering his eyes to the ground. "Oh, Hatta, won't you please lift your head? I want to see your face."

He did, blinking his wide green eyes. She smiled. "Have you figured out why a raven is like a writing desk yet, Hatta?" she asked. He shook his head. "Not yet, Your Majesty. Still working that one out, I'm afraid. Though I've got more help with it these days than I used to back then, so I believe I'm making some rather significant progress."  
"Is that so? Who exactly is helping you?"  
"My wife, mostly. And my daughter"

The Queen's smile slowly disappeared. "So you're married now, are you?" she asked. Tarrant nodded, just a quick bob of his head. "Yes, ever since the Malving Day."  
"And might I ask to whom?"

"To me," Alice said, coming up beside her husband with Jemima and Marnie following close behind, the latter still whimpering, her lower lip trembling as small tears continued to dribble off her chin in far less drastic amounts than before.

Beradella's eyes drifted to the blonde and looked her up and down somewhat critically. "And you are?" she said finally. "I'm Alice," was the simple reply. "From Aboveground originally."

"Alice is Mirana's Champion!" Tarrant said proudly. "She's the one who slew Iracebeth's Jabberwocky on the Frabjous Day, you know! She's also quite good at the Futterwacken and the Lobster Quadrille!"

"I see," Beradella said. "Well, anyone who's spoken so highly of by Hatta is certainly welcome in my court any time at all. And who is this timid thing who's trying to pretend she doesn't exist back there?" she asked.

Jemima stepped forward and curtseyed nervously. "J-Jemima, Your Majesty," she said. "Jemima Thornton. From Scotland Yard." Beradella frowned. "Where?"  
"It's Aboveground," Alice explained.

A strange look came over the Queen's face when Alice mentioned the word Aboveground. She looked around as if expecting something to happen, then blinked. She put a hand to her breast and smiled, looking somewhat flustered. "Well!" she said, her voice sounding breathless in an odd sort of way. "This is certainly unexpected! I haven't seen you in years, Tarrant, and now you suddenly show up on my walkway with your famous wife and an Abovegrounder with no warning of any kind. And on the Bandersnatch, no less! After all this time...There must be a reason...I wonder what that might be."

"Your Majesty...Beradella...We are looking for Absolem. Mirana thought that perhaps there was a possibility you know where he is," Hatta said, choosing his words carefully, knowing that things could get very ugly for all of them if anything was said that even slightly offended her in some way. "The caterpillar?"

"Actually, he's a butterfly now. But yes, that would be him."  
Beradella shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't help you with that. I haven't seen him since he was a caterpillar, so I have no idea. Didn't even know he was a butterfly until you told me just now."

Tarrant and Alice glanced at each other. "Well, so much for that," Alice said. "I suppose we'd better be on our way, then."

They had no intention of actually leaving. That was just a ruse so that she hopefully wouldn't have any reason to believe that they would soon be sneaking about the palace in search of the butterfly. But then she said something that caught everyone off guard, including Marnie.

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" she asked. Alice frowned. "Beg pardon?" she said. Beradella shrugged. "Well, I mean, you've come all this way, and it's almost brillig, so why not? Besides, Hatta and I haven't seen each other in years, and I've missed seeing him. This would give us a chance to catch up, and it'd give me a chance to get to know the woman he married. And, to tell the truth, I've always been a bit curious about what it's like Aboveground, so I was also kind of hoping that since you and your friend there are both from there, you'd tell me a little bit about it."

Tarrant was about to turn down the offer, but before he could, Alice had piped up and accepted it. "Wonderful!" Beradella said. "I'll tell the Royal Chef to prepare gourmet meal. Nothing but the best for an old friend, especially one like Hatta who I've always felt so close to."

As they followed her into the palace, Tarrant turned to Alice. "Not that I don't believe you know what you're doing, love, but I don't think I quite follow where you're going with whatever plan you've come up with. Exactly what are you intending to accomplish by staying here for dinner?"

"It'll give us an excuse to look around some. Maybe find Absolem if we're lucky."  
His face lit up. "Have I ever told you before what an awfully clever girl you are, my dear?" he asked cheerfully. She grinned, a slight blush colorig her cheeks a rosy pink. "On several occasions, as a matter of fact," she replied.

Jemima, who was walking just a few feet behind them with the Blue Queen still clinging nervously to her arm, overheard the exchange between her companions and rolled her eyes. "You're both mad," she muttered under her breath. Hearing it, the Hatter looked at her over his shoulder and grinned, his green eyes wide and sparkling with something close to excitement. "All the best people are," he said in a half-whisper. "And in Underland, my dear, we are all mad."

Jemima didn't know how to respond. "It's true, you know," Marnie whispered in her ear. "In some form or another, everyone who lives in this place is gone 'round the bend. Even those of us who seem perfectly sane. Down here, there is no such thing as complete sanity."

_"I've stumbled into a madhouse!"_ Jemima thought._ "A madhouse where the inmates run free and do whatever they please! Lord, I never should have agreed to come here with this pair! I should have demanded to go home while I had the chance! Oh, what have I _done?"

* * *

**AN: Just a friendly reminder that in order to picture Beradella, all you need to do is picture Bernadette Peters, and if you don't know what SHE looks like, then there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with your life, because you are being severely deprived, which is not okay. So Google the woman. NOW.**

**Disclaimer: I own Queens Marnie and Beradella, as well as Nettie and Jemima, but everything and everyone else belongs to either Tim Burton, Lewis Carroll, or a combination of the two.  
**


End file.
